Mechanically controlled electrical switch, especially for an alarm timepiece



Dec. 20, 1966 A. BEYNER ETAL 3,293,386

MECHANICALLY CONTROLLED ELECTRICAL SWITCH, ESPECIALLY FOR AN ALARM TIMEPIECE Flled July 22, 1964 INVENTORS ANDRE BEYNER AND ALI BY SCHNEITER ATTORNEY,

United States Patent 3,293,386 MECHANICALLY CONTROLLED ELECTRICAL lSqITCH, ESPECIALLY FOR AN ALARM TIME-,

CE Andr Beyner and Ali Schneiter, Neuchatel, Switzerland, assignors to Ebaaches S.A., a firm of Switzerland Filed July 22, 1964, Ser. No. 384,454 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Aug. 13, 1963, 9,980/ 63 2 Claims. (Cl. 200-38) The present invention relates to a mechanically controlled electrical switch, especially for a timepiece, of the type comprising a rotatable element provided with at least one alternation between conductive and non-conductive parts with which a feeler is in sequential contact, so as to close and to open alternatively an electrical circuit, according as the feeler is in contact with a conductive or with a non-conductive zone of the rotatable element.

In switches of this type, when the rotatable element rotates slowly, as is the case when it is rigid with the hour wheel of a timepiece, the duration of the closing operation of the electric contact is generally very long, due to this low speed of rotation. The present invention has for one object to overcome this drawback and to allow the possibility of carrying out several successive closings of the switch, each of small duration, thus allowing repetition.

This switch is characterised by the fact that the surface of the rotatable element with which the feeler is in contact is provided with a step on which is located the alternation, so that the speed of the relative displacement between the feeler and the zone provided with the said alternation is a function, on the one hand, of the speed of rotation of the rotatable element and, on the other hand, of the angle formed between the step of the rotatable element and the surface of this element.

The drawing shows, by way of example, one embodiment of the object of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plane view of an alarm mechanism of a timepiece.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view along line II-II of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a detail, at an enlarged scale.

The alarm mechanism comprises a rotatable cam 1, having the shape of a snail, made of insulating material, carried by a rotatable shaft 2 making one revolution per 12 hours, and being rigid with the hour wheel, not shown, of the timepiece. This shaft 2 carries a metallic disc 3 on which is riveted, at 4, a contact stud 5, the head of which, having the shape of a segment of crown (FIG. 1) is embedded in the snail cam 1 and is flush with the surface, designated by 6, of this cam, connecting its part of smallest diameter to its part of greatest diameter.

This alarm mechanism also includes an alarm wheel 7 carried by a central sleeve 8, rotatably mounted in an insulating plate 9 supporting the dial, and constituting a part of the frame of the timepiece. The peripheral teeth 7a of the wheel 7 serve as a manual control for the manual setting of the alarm. This wheel 7 carries, articulated thereto at 10, a two-arm lever 11, one arm of which, designated by 11a, is subjected to the action of the return spring 12, secured at 13 to the wheel 7. The extremity of the spring 12 passes under the extremity of the arm 11a and bears on a bent part 11b of this arm. The other arm of the lever 11, designated by 110, is ended by a nose 11d bearing radially on the snail cam 1.

A cambered metallic washer 14 (FIG. 2) produces, on the one hand, a friction between the alarm wheel 7 and the insulating plate 9 and, on the other hand, the electric contact between the sleeve 8 and a metallic blade 15 serving as a conductive element. When the nose 11d of the 3,293,386 Patented Dec. 20, 1966 two-arm lever 11 is in contact with the stud 5, the electric connection is ensured between the earth constituted by the movement of the timepiece and the metallic blade 15. On the contrary, when the nose 11d is in contact with the cam 1, made of insulating material, the blade 15 is not in electrical contact with the earth constituted by the movement of the timepiece.

It is to be noted that the relative speed between the small, and the relative speed of displacement between the step 6 and the nose 11d of the lever is rapid, for a given speed of rotation of the cam 1. Thus, the duration of the time during which the electric contact is closed, as well as the rapidity of its closing or of its opening, can be made very short, even when the cam 1 rotates at the speed of one revolution per 12 hours only.

It is to be noted that the wheel 7 is submitted to the action of a jumper 16 which prevents manual setting opposite to the normal direction of running, that would have for effect to damage the mechanism, the nose 11d of the arm of the lever 11 then being hooked by the step 6 of the cam 1.

What we claim is:

1. In a mechanically-controlled electric switch mecha-- nism for an alarm timepiece, the combination of,

a rotatable shaft fixed to the hour wheel of the timepiece,

a non conductive cam rotatably mounted on said shaft and including a switch-actuating surface comprised of an undercut step having a top and bottom joined by a gradually-rising slope,

a contact having a surface flush with the step thereof for defining conductive zones on the step alternating with the non-conductive zones thereof,

a metallic disc carried by said shaft,

a central sleeve circumscri'bing said shaft,

an insulating plate mounted in said sleeve,

an alarm wheel carried by said sleeve,

a two-arm lever swingably mounted on said alarm wheel,

a return spring anchored to said alarm wheel and bearing upon one arm of said lever for urging the other arm of said lever into bearing relationship with the switch-actuating surface of said cam,

the cam-contacting arm of said lever having a nose riding sequentially moving tangentially between the extremities of said step on each rotation of said cam,

a metallic blade, and

a metallic washer establishing a friction fit between said alarm wheel and insulating plate and an electric contact between said sleeve and metallic blade,

said sleeve and metallic blade serving as a conductive element with the nose of said lever in contact with said contact and as a non-conductive element with the nose of said lever in contact with said cam,

the speed of the relative displacement between the nose of said lever and step of said cam being a function of the rotative speed of said cam and of the angle formed between the step and the tangent to the switch-actuating surface of said cam, said lever in contact with the step of said cam alternately closing and opening an electric circuit accordingly as said lever is in contact with the conductive or non-conductive zones.

3 4 2. In a mechanically-controlled electric switch mechacam, and an electrical circuit passing through said feeler nism for an alarm timepiece, the combination of a roand the conductive zones of said step.

tatable cam arranged to be driven by the timepiece, a

f d m step on said cam, alternat1ons of conductive and non- Re erences Clte by the Exa met conductive zones on the said step, a feeler in contact with 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS the surface of said cam and being sequentially movable 873,020 10/1907 Collins 200-38 tangentially between the extremities of said step on each 2,970,454 2/ 1961 Everard et al. 20038 rotation of said cam with the speed of relative displace- 3,018,340 1/1961 Eggert et al. 20038 ment between said feeler and step being a function of the rotative speed of said cam and of the angle formed 10 BERNARD GILHEANY Prlmary Exammer' between said step and the tangent to the surface of said FLECK, Assistant Examiner- 

1. IN A MECHANICALLY-CONTROLLED ELECTRIC SWITCH MECHANISM FOR AN ALARM TIMEPIECE, THE COMBINATION OF, A ROTATABLE SHAFT FIXED TO THE HOUR WHEEL OF THE TIMEPIECE, A NON CONDUCTIVE CAM ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT AND INCLUDING A SWITCH-ACTUATING SURFACE COMPRISED OF AN UNDERCUT STEP HAVING A TOP AND BOTTOM JOINED BY A GRADUALLY-RISING SLOPE, A CONTACT HAVING A SURFACE FLUSH WITH THE STEP THEREOF FOR DEFINING CONDUCTIVE ZONES ON THE STEP ALTERNATING WITH THE NON-CONDUCTIVE ZONES THEREOF, A METALLIC DISC-CARRIED BY SAID SHAFT, A CENTRAL SLEEVE CIRCUMSCRIBING SAID SHAFT, AN INSULATING PLATE MOUNTED IN SAID SLEEVE, AN ALARM WHEEL CARRIED BY SAID SLEEVE, A TWO-ARM LEVER SWINGABLY MOUNTED ON SAID ALARM WHEEL, A RETURN SPRING ANCHORED TO SAID ALARM WHEEL AND BEARING UPON ONE ARM OF SAID LEVER FOR URGING THE OTHER ARM OF SAID LEVER INTO BEARING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SWITCH-ACTUATING SURFACE OF SAID CAM, THE CAM-CONTACTING ARM OF SAID LEVER HAVING A NOSE RIDING SEQUENTIALLY MOVING TANGENTIALLY BETWEEN THE EXTREMITIES OF SAID STEP ON EACH ROTATION OF SAID CAM, A METALLIC BLADE, AND A METALLIC WASHER ESTABLISHING A FRICTION FIT BETWEEN SAID ALARM WHEEL AND INSULATING PLATE AND AN ELECTRIC CONTACT BETWEEN SAID SLEEVE AND METALLIC BLAE, SAID SLEEVE AND METALLIC BLADE SERVING AS A CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT WITH THE NOSE OF SAID LEVER IN CONTACT WITH SAID CONTACT AND AS A NON-CONDUCTIVE ELEMENT WITH THE NOSE OF SAID LEVER IN CONTACT WITH SAID CAM, THE SPEED OF THE RELATIVE DISPLACEMENT BETWEEN THE NOSE OF SAID LEVER AND STEP OF SAID CAM BEING A FUNCTION OF THE ROTATIVE SPEED OF SAID CAM AND OF THE ANGLE FORMED BETWEEN THE STEP AND THE TANGENT TO THE SWITCH-ACTUATING SURFACE OF SAID CAM, SAID LEVER IN CONTACT WITH THE STEP OF SAID CAM ALTERNATELY CLOSING AND OPENING AN ELECTRIC CIRCUIT ACCORDINGLY AS SAID LEVER IS IN CONTACT WITH THE CONDUCTIVE OR NON-CONDUCTIVE ZONES. 